Wanda was touched by the young family playing in the park after a raid for supplies. This young family consisted of a Mother (Soul) a father (Soul) and a baby (Human had by the love between the Mother Soul and Father Soul). What are the ramification of a human child being brought into a host world? One would think an incertion would have already been made to ease the loss of conciousness. Would a "soul" couple gladly hand over their baby to die for the cause? And if they don't...what are the consequences?

i would imagine that a soul couple would love to hand over their human baby in order to have a soul put in them. the aliens really believe that they are doing something good, so why wouldn't their human baby to be a part of it? the parents probably feel like getting a soul put in is a real step up from normal humanity, and would have no hesitation about the process.

i doubt there would be much "ramification" for bringing a human child into a soul world because it would mean another available host body for the souls to take advantage of.

the welts of your scorn, my love, give me moresend whips of opinion down my back, give me morewell, its you i've waited my life to seeits you i've searched so hard for

Well didn't Wanda say something like the parents loved that child and had chose not to give up the child and wouldnt be made to, or something along those lines. Sorry, my copy of The Host is loaned out right now so I can't look it up. If the human child was allowed to stay human wouldn't there be a difference in their morals and a soul's?Or maybe that is an argument for nature vs. nurture

What I felt in that scene was that the soul parents had come to love their human child, and didn't want to see that child replaced by a soul. I think it was so touching to Wanda because it was so clearly a step forward in the understanding of the souls that first, humans were valuable not just for their bodies or their world, but for themselves, and second, that when a soul was inserted, that valuable human self would be gone. Wanda had come to the same understanding and it caused her ultimately to betray the souls in a less passive way (by having them removed from host bodies).

The ramifications seem to be that the souls may be able to live peaceably with the humans at some point - but it's hard to imagine how their race can continue on earth when it becomes so distasteful to them to use their children as hosts. Perhaps they'll choose to die when their host life ends, something like Wanda planned for herself. I wonder if it will be as easy to take other host planets after having come to value the lives of their human hosts - a serious ramification for the survival of their species.

If only they could find a few more hosts like the Spiders who actually see the soul/host relationship as valuable!

i would imagine that a soul couple would love to hand over their human baby in order to have a soul put in them. the aliens really believe that they are doing something good, so why wouldn't their human baby to be a part of it? the parents probably feel like getting a soul put in is a real step up from normal humanity, and would have no hesitation about the process.

i doubt there would be much "ramification" for bringing a human child into a soul world because it would mean another available host body for the souls to take advantage of.

i disagree. at first, and for the most part, they see humans as a less evolved species than they really are. the war, trial and tribulation that soaks every fiber of humanity over ran any real sense of what it is to be human to the outside perspective. humans were seen as harsh and barbaric, hence the sense of being helpful.

all other life forms they had encountered already had a hive like social atmosphere. there was no personal sense of loss when it came to the aliens hosting those lifeforms, no sense of withdraw or resistance.

the souls are pure, loving beings. a baby (without going into any type of personal debate) is a pure loving being as well. a singular being like the souls. a being more like the souls than any encountered on any other planet.

What I felt in that scene was that the soul parents had come to love their human child, and didn't want to see that child replaced by a soul. I think it was so touching to Wanda because it was so clearly a step forward in the understanding of the souls

Well put, LilBit.

I, for one, loved this scene. It was one of my favorite in the entire book. I felt that the souls had seen a part of themselves in their human child. I imagine that it must have been quite a feeling for them to reproduce, as most of their kind never gets the chance. It's beautiful to think that parenthood brought forth such emotions in the souls that they couldn't bear the thought of chaning their miracle.

I felt that this moment, not only gave Wanda hope that her fellow souls were beginning to see the beauty in humanity, but also gave her hope for herself. Up until this point I think she felt her situation, and Mel's for that matter to be hopeless. She felt doomed every which way she turned. She saw no hope in the human faces that kept constant watch over her in the caves, and even less hope in her own kind because of the Seeker. However, at this moment, she I believe she saw a glimpse of her own future and the possibilities that could lie ahead for herself and Ian, as well as Jared and Mel.

This too was one of my favorite scenes. I thought this scene showed just how strong the human race really was at this time. Wanda even said over and over again that the emotions encountered on this planet were very very different from any the souls had ever come across. They were very strong and they were taking over the souls without most of them realizing it I think. The paternal instinct to protect your child did not go away with the insertion of the souls. The humans were not so easily conquered and I believe most of them were still struggling to get free of the soul that had taken over their body. When the two souls shown in the scene had a child, I think they saw it as really bringing an equal into this world, not just another vessal for the souls to use. I think this shows that the humans and souls can live in peace. When the souls see that humankind is not inherently evil like they believed at first, I think they will see, just like Wanda did, that using the humans is wrong and they should leave. I do not think they can live long side by side, but I do believe that one day the souls will leave.